Notes: This was brewed once on June 4th, 2008& was the 1st of the Stone Collaboration brews.

This beer pours a deep gold with a 1 finger head which dissipated quickly and left a thin lacing on my glass.

The nose had notes of lemon, spices, sweet malts/candi sugar and Belgian yeast.

The taste started off sweet from the malts and candi sugar, then was followed with spices like cloves and coriander and ended dry and bitter.

This beer had a crisp mild to medium mouthfeel with a low level of carbonation.

The drinkability was smooth and easy. Pour me another please.

On the Label: This is a story of how a collaboration brew with – IMO- two of the greatest breweries on this planet initially began with a “fizzy yellow beer.” It all started in Denmark in the late 09’s when a group of friends and I started going to a bar in our neighborhood that sold a bucket of imported beers. My first love was (yikes) an American fizzy yellow beer…..Well, things have changed since…. We learned that there was SO much more when we discovered American craft beer and we were soon to never touch the fizzy yellow stuff again! When American craft beer came to interest and with the birth of the first Danish microbreweries, so came the birth of my wanting to brew my own beer. I got together with Kristian (Keller) and we started brewing in our kitchen in 2003. As the beer scene progressed more and more US microbrews found their way to Denmark and we started downing beer from far away breweries such as Stone, AleSmith, Three Floyds, etc and they all blew our minds…….I Thought; what’s the heck is going on in Denmark??…why isn’t anybody brewing these kinds of ales? And so Mikkeller was born…It’s been a couple years now and things has moved faster than the speed of lightning. Ok let’s get to the case…why are you sitting here in with an ale brewed in friendly collaboration between two US and one Danish brewery in your hands?? Because the world is a small place and because I am one of the luckiest brewers on the planet. Since tasting the wonderful nectars of the US my dream has been to brew with some of the best brewers on the planet and this ale is the result of realizing this dream. It’s a result of a fizzy yellow eventually turning me into US beers and getting me turned into Stone and AleSmith. — Mikkel Bjergsø

From their website: Sure, we’re a bunch of Arrogant Bastards, but we humbly admit that we were inspired to start brewing by other fantastic breweries and homebrewers. There are a whole lot of fellow craft brewers who we respect and admire, and who we’ve wanted to collaborate with. So why just dream about it? Starting in 2008, we released a new series of collaboration beers. The goal was to get three brewers from three different breweries to put their heads together and have some fun with no regard for boundaries. No restrictions on fitting a beer into a lineup, using familiar ingredients, conforming to preconceived beer styles, using tested procedures in the brewing process or even affordability. Each of these beers is the result of three brewers coming together and doing what they love. Therefore, many of our collaborations include ridiculous amounts of decadent ingredients without regard for shelf price. And because our collaborations are usually only brewed once, they can be rather difficult to find, and once they run out—they run out. Consider yourself warned.

If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on these liquid tributes to the spirit of camaraderie, you’ll agree that the end result is worth it.

Jupiter Field of Beers 2011

Roger Dean Stadium

This was the 3rd annual Jupiter Field of Beers and I was fortunate enough to be at all 3 events. Like the last 2 years, Fran, from Brewzzi, did an outstanding job of putting together this event. I’m already looking forward to next years!

Roger Dean Stadium, the view from the 1st base side

This year there were 16 mouthwatering food and beer pairing stations. 2 were alongside 1st base & 3rd base; 3 were found inside each dugout where you could eat and drink while sitting on the dugout benches and the other 6 were scattered along the backstop behind home plate.

Here is the list of beers, as they were presented on the Field of Beers, not necessary in the same order as consumed.

American take on a traditional Belgian classic. Full-bodied, slightly tart Brown Ale well balanced with fresh American hops.

“At Brewzzi, our beer’s journey doesn’t end at the bottom of the glass. The spent grain from our brewery goes to a Loxahatchee company which uses it to make organic worm castings…yes, worm poop. The result is an all natural, 100 percent organic fertilizer which is then sent to an organic farm to help grow vegetables we intended to use in tonight’s beer and food pairings.

But mother nature had other plans. Two months ago, the frost and freezing temperatures ruined a large percentage of crops throughout South Florida, including our veggies. So, while we were unable to use sustainable vegetables this time around, we promise to try again next year.

Brewzzi Darkhouse

Big Bear Imperial Stout

#8 Stout Braised Bottom Round of Grain Fed Beef

Crusted with pasilla pepper and toasted coriander and slow roasted with a veal demi glace. Carved to order with white cheddar grits.

When they say “grain fed beef” they meant “beer grain feed”!! “Big Bear brewmaster Matt Cox contributed to both the beer and food in tonight’s pairing. Matt donates his spent grain to a local cattle farmer in Delray Beach, who has been feeding it to his cows since last year. The resulting beef is part of this pairing tonight. It’s a great example of how craft beer and sustainability can go hand in hand.”

Note: This beer poured as a hazy straw color with a fluffy 2 finger off white head. The nose was more citrusy, with grapefruit rinds, then piney. The taste started off sweeter than expected with caramel malts and then I got the citrus flavors of the hops. The mouthfeel was a medium to heavy body with a “thickness’ not found in most IPA’s and a nice level of carbonation. The drinkability was fairly good for a 8.9% abv brew. This is not the best beer I’ve had from Stone, but is one which I would like to have again.

On the Label: June 2010. CONSUME FRESH or age in the hull of a seafaring vessel for a year or more.

From their website: Release Date: Monday, June 21st, 2010

We went to England this past spring as self-styled “IPA Hunters” on a mission to learn more about the confusing and often contradictory history of India Pale Ale – to look for some certainty where those before us have found mostly mystery and mercantilism. While our success in this pursuit is open to debate, there can be no question that we returned home inspired by the ghosts of Burton and by the experience of poring over 150-year old brewer’s logs handwritten in (India?) ink. Stone Brewing Co., after all, traces its lineage back to the British Empire’s brewing history: we make ales, and all of our original offerings used traditional British styles as a jumping-off point. If this seems a roundabout way of letting you know that, yes, we are in fact brewing another IPA to mark our Anniversary, well, so be it.

This one however, promises to be different! From the imported white malt to the “Burtonised” water to the rare yeast strain to the most pungent hops Kent has to offer, we used all British ingredients to brew our “Emperial” IPA.* While we may have brewed Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA with our own distinctively modern, San Diego-style touch, what good is history if you can’t rewrite it to suit your tastes?

In this case, our tastes called for highly intemperate quantities of Target, East Kent Goldings, and Boadicea hops, bestowing upon this dry-bodied ale a powerfully spicy, earthy aroma. On the palate, peppery hops assert themselves early and often, with malt sweetness making a brief appearance before being beaten back by a long, complex, and decisively bitter finish. What better way to contemplate the fate of empires past, present, and future?

Note: This beer is no longer brewed it was a one shot deal for Stones 13 anniverary.

Despite the warning on the label: bottled June 2009 & Do not cellar. Enjoy in 2009. I did cellar this beer, hence this review at this time is against the warning of the maker.

This beer poured a deep opaque reddish brown with a 3 finger fluffy tan head which lasted most of my 1st glass leaving a minimal lacing on the glass. The nose, despite the year wait to drink was heavy on the hops, both piney and citrus. The taste was slightly sweet upfront, made me think of a Barleywine, then BAM the hops hit and hit hard. This was no Barleywine after all. Wish I made this review when it was fresh, as I forgot how it had tasted then. The bitter taste was all grapefruit rind and a hop heads dream. The mouthfeel was a medium body and syrupy yet not to thick with a nice level of carbonation. The drinkability was good but not something I would want to have another right away. It is more of a sipping beer and one you would not want to gulp down. If this beer was fresh I would have most likely given it a higher rating.

On the Label: June 2009 Do not cellar. Enjoy in 2009.

Triskaidekapbobia sufferers beware. Stone is a teenager now. Like all teenagers, we’re entering an unpredictable age. Soon our voice will begin to get deeper, yet crack at the most embarrassing time (like when we’re trying to impress a cute girl…just our luck). We do finally get to watch the PG-13 movies not that ever stopped us, we do look old for our age. And we have an unmistakable maturity about us. At least that’s what Aunt Maybelle says. Just wish she’d cut out that cheek pinching though.

It seems that it may be time to leave behind our younger years altogether. We’ve actually been feeling a bit like grownups these days. 2008 stats came out recently and it appears that Stone is the 18th largest craft brewery in the nation (20th last year). We’re nearly out of space in our new brewery (in just three and a half years, no less), and the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens has become a regional fixture in the last two and a half years. And our business has been growing. We say this with full respect and sensitivity to many that are experiencing challenges during these crazy times and unpleasant economic times. We believe that our growth during these times is a significant indicator that Americans are continuing to gravitate towards better. Everything from artisanal cheeses and breads, to organics and great craft beer continues to grow. Victory gardens have become an old trend that is new again, and people are continuing to focus on the quality choices available to them in their regions. No matter where you are, we are thankful and hugely flattered when you choose a quality craft beer that is more local, we understand. As long as we are all continuing our collective enthusiasm for great quality choices, more and more quality choices will continue to be made to satisfy our hunger…and thirst. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing! Ingredient: Barley, Hops, Water and Yeast. www.stonebrew.com/anniv

Like this:

My friend Stu returned from California with a nice haul of “West Coast” beers not available in S. Florida. His philosophy is that good beer is meant to be shared, so he invited a small handful of friends to his backyard for a great beer tasting on Saturday.

The Beer "Waiting Room"

Above is what I called the Beer “Waiting Room”. This is a photo before more beer was added as guests arrived.

I have listed the beers in the Order we drank them. Our method of picking our next beer was very random. We would just go to the beer “Waiting Room” stick in our hand and pull out a beer, most of the time not knowing what we were going to pull out. It actually worked out quite well this way, as you will see the styles did vary and kept palate fatigue at bay. We were able to taste 21 different beers style from the 26 beers we had.

I paired this beer with: Hanger Steak grilled with a sweet teriyaki sauce. Nothing wrong with this pairing.

Tasted on: Wednesday May 12th, 2010.

Note: The beer had a strong aroma of herbs and spices as soon as you popped the cap. It reminded me of the smells in the food market is Provence. The taste was more of what you smelled with a very mild tartness. This beer was very crisp, dry and refreshing & I was left wanting to open another. This brew is good with or without food. I can’t wait to see the other 2 versions of this beer.

On the Label: Ale brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme.

BUFF Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor. A clandestine organization committed to liberating collective taste buds, citing the dastardly and / or oppressive reign of so-called “fizzy yellow beer’.

Buff is how we think. How we act, and who we are…Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor! Herbs in our brew? Impossible where I trained in Germany! But America has granted our breweries the amazing opportunity to create inspired ales and we seized the opportunity with gusto in making this collaborative ale. Knowing the season this was to be enjoyed, we went for refreshment. Being BUFF we added the challenge of unique flavor and landed in a style that offers ample latitude for both goals, saison. New to the proverbial table in discussion we all remarked how much we liked sage and the idea of herbs cascaded out of the conversation. Picking rosemary, milling in wheat malt and dosing the herbs, we three have had more fun than people are used to with clothing still on. Leave yours and your preconceived notions on ale behind and be BUFF with us!

From their website: Dogfish Head / Victory / Stone, Saison du BUFF is a 6% alc/vol Saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. This beer will be brewed three times, once at each brewery using the same recipe. The expected release dates for each brew are as follows: